Google Assistant comes to the Play Store as an app

Google Assistant, the personal assistant that we have all come to love and rely on our Android (even iOS) devices, is now available through the Google Play Store. That alone should mean that it’s now easier than ever for anyone and everyone who missed out on getting Assistant earlier in the year as it rolled out, right?

Wrong. Assistant’s presence on Google Play seems kind of cosmetic at this point in time. It’s only beneficial to those who already have Assistant installed and enabled on their devices, it seems, which is a bummer and pretty much beats the point. Then again, we’ve become accustomed to this type of behaviour from Android device makers who released apps on the Play Store every now and then that are locked for use on their own specific devices.

Now that it’s not meant for those who don’t have Assistant on their Android devices what’s the point for those who already have? Good question. It’s meant to be a shortcut. Another way of accessing Assistant from your device’s home screen or app drawer. Before today, launching Assistant has only been possible by long-pressing the physical or on-screen home key or using the “Ok, Google” hot word. Not anymore.

If the Assistant on the Play Store sounds like your cup of tea, grab it here.